| Buying any piece of fitness equipment is an | | | | for brands such as Tunturi and Reebok who |
| investment in your health, which is great. | | | | provide service backup and warranties with |
| However there are a number of factors to | | | | their products. A light commercial elliptical |
| consider when purchasing fitness equipment. | | | | trainer is going to set you back between |
| I've outlined a few points which I think are | | | | £1000 & £3000 whereas a commercial |
| important when purchasing an elliptical | | | | elliptical trainer may be anything from |
| trainer. | | | | £3000 to £5000. |
| | | | |
| Elliptical trainers also known as | | | | How much room do you have to store the |
| crosstrainers first entered the market in | | | | elliptical trainer? |
| 1995 and have been in constant development | | | | |
| since. Reebok introduced the first elliptical | | | | Always measure how much room you have |
| trainer with moving arms giving the user a | | | | available before purchasing an elliptical |
| lower and upper body workout. Elliptical | | | | trainer, remember they are larger pieces of |
| trainers have become so popular because: | | | | equipment. An elliptical trainer has to be |
| | | | able to withstand the weight of a human, |
| • Low impact exercise, which is | | | | which as we know can vary enormously, so they |
| gentle on backs, knees, hips and joints. | | | | can be rather bulky. All good websites or |
| | | | retailers will be able to provide you with |
| • Weight bearing exercise that helps | | | | the dimensions of the elliptical trainer your |
| build bone density and burns calories | | | | interested in. |
| efficiently. | | | | |
| | | | Which brand? |
| • Suitable for a large range of | | | | |
| training needs. | | | | With so many options it's difficult to know |
| | | | which brand to opt for. Personally I would |
| • Low maintenance, keeping costs | | | | suggest selecting a brand which provides a |
| down. | | | | good warranty. If a product has a good |
| | | | warranty then generally you can be fairly |
| • Smaller in size than a treadmill. | | | | confident that the manufacturer is confident |
| | | | in the quality of their product. Brands which |
| How much are you willing to spend, budget? | | | | I've tested and prefer include Tunturi, |
| | | | Reebok, Bremshey, Nautilus, Trimmaster Life |
| As with most things generally but not always | | | | Fitness, and Schwinn. |
| the more you spend on an elliptical trainer | | | | |
| the more you get. With fitness equipment | | | | What are programmes and how do they benefit |
| there are three categories, home equipment, | | | | me? |
| light commercial equipment and commercial | | | | |
| equipment. Home equipment is designed for | | | | It is often difficult to motivate yourself |
| home users and it generally suitable for an | | | | when you're often using the same routine! |
| hours use per day, light commercial equipment | | | | Purchasing an elliptical trainer with |
| is designed for the demanding home user and | | | | programmes maybe the answer. Having pre-set |
| small gyms situated within offices and | | | | or even customisable workout programmes is a |
| hotels. Light commercial equipment is | | | | great way to provide some extra variety and |
| generally suitable for up to 5 hours use a | | | | motivation. Some of the more expensive |
| day. Commercial equipment is designed for | | | | crosstrainers now offer heart rate controlled |
| gyms and is designed to be suitable for 18 | | | | programmes which using your heart rate, |
| hours use a day. | | | | increase or decrease the resistance of the |
| | | | crosstrainer keeping your heart rate as close |
| In my opinion £250 upwards will buy you a | | | | as possible to the pre-set rate. This is a |
| reasonable quality home elliptical trainer, | | | | safe way to exercise and can help with weight |
| try and avoid unbranded equipment and look | | | | loss. |